PHP for TypeScript Developers

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Overview

Coming from TypeScript? You already have the mindset for modern PHP. This series bridges your existing knowledge to PHP 8.3+, highlighting parallels and differences between the ecosystems while teaching you idiomatic PHP.

What You'll Learn

• Type Systems: How PHP's type system compares to TypeScript's
• Modern Syntax: Arrow functions, nullish coalescing, spread operators—PHP has them too
• Package Management: From npm to Composer
• Async Patterns: Promises vs PHP's async approaches
• Tooling: The PHP equivalents of your favorite TypeScript tools
• Frameworks: From Express/Nest.js to Laravel
• Testing: Jest → PHPUnit, testing patterns that feel familiar

Prerequisites

This series assumes you:

• ✅ Have professional TypeScript/JavaScript experience
• ✅ Understand modern ES6+ features
• ✅ Are familiar with async/await and promises
• ✅ Have used npm and package.json
• ✅ Know OOP concepts (classes, interfaces, inheritance)

What You'll Build

Throughout this series, you'll build:

1. REST API - Compare Express.js patterns to PHP implementations
2. Type-Safe Models - Leverage PHP's type system like TypeScript interfaces
3. CLI Tool - Node scripts vs PHP CLI applications
4. Real-time Features - WebSockets and async in PHP
5. Full-Stack App - Laravel application with TypeScript concepts

Time Commitment

• 15 chapters total
• ~45 minutes per chapter
• ~12 hours to complete the series
• Hands-on exercises in each chapter

Learning Path

TypeScript Foundations → PHP Basics → Advanced Patterns → Full-Stack Integration

Phase 1: Syntax & Types (Chapters 1-5)

Translate your TypeScript knowledge to PHP syntax and typing

Phase 2: Ecosystem & Tools (Chapters 6-10)

Navigate PHP's package management, testing, and tooling

Phase 3: Frameworks & Patterns (Chapters 11-15)

Build production-ready applications with Laravel

Why PHP?

If you're wondering why learn PHP:

• Market Demand: PHP powers 77% of the web (WordPress, Laravel, Symfony)
• Modern Language: PHP 8+ rivals TypeScript in features
• Performance: PHP 8.3 is faster than Node.js in many benchmarks
• Career Growth: Combine TypeScript + PHP = full-stack powerhouse
• Laravel: One of the most elegant frameworks in any language

Quick Start

1. Install PHP

macOS (using Homebrew):

brew install php

Windows (using Chocolatey):

choco install php

Linux (Ubuntu/Debian):

sudo apt update
sudo apt install php8.3-cli php8.3-mbstring php8.3-xml php8.3-curl

2. Verify Installation

php -v
# Should show PHP 8.3+ (similar to node --version)

3. Install Composer

Composer is PHP's npm. Install from getcomposer.org

composer --version
# Similar to npm --version

4. Your First PHP Script

Create hello.php:

<?php
// Like TypeScript, modern PHP supports strict typing
declare(strict_types=1);

// Arrow functions (like TypeScript)
$greet = fn(string $name): string => "Hello, {$name}!";

// Type-safe output
echo $greet("TypeScript Developer");

Run it:

php hello.php

Chapter Overview

🎯 Part 1: Foundations

1. TypeScript to PHP: Type Systems Compared - Map your type knowledge
2. Modern PHP Syntax for TS Developers - Familiar patterns, new syntax
3. Functions & Closures: From JS to PHP - Arrow functions and more
4. OOP: Classes, Interfaces & Generics - Similar concepts, different syntax
5. Error Handling: Try/Catch & Type Safety - Beyond TypeScript's errors

📦 Part 2: Ecosystem

6. Package Management: npm vs Composer - Dependencies the PHP way
7. Testing: Jest Patterns in PHPUnit - Familiar testing approaches
8. Code Quality: ESLint meets PHP_CodeSniffer - Linting and formatting
9. Build Tools: TypeScript Compiler vs PHP - No compilation needed (mostly)
10. Debugging: Node Inspector vs Xdebug - Debugging tools and techniques

🚀 Part 3: Advanced & Frameworks

11. Async in PHP: Promises vs Fibers - Concurrency patterns
12. REST APIs: Express.js vs PHP Native - Build APIs without frameworks
13. Laravel Foundations: The PHP Framework - Like Nest.js, but PHP
14. Database & ORMs: TypeORM meets Eloquent - Type-safe queries
15. Full-Stack: Inertia.js (React/Vue + Laravel) - Best of both worlds

Comparison: TypeScript vs PHP

Feature	TypeScript	PHP 8.3+
Type System	Static (compile-time)	Static (runtime checked)
Nullability	string | null	?string
Union Types	string | number	string|int
Interfaces	interface User {}	interface User {}
Enums	enum Status {}	enum Status {}
Async	async/await	Fibers, Promises (via libraries)
Package Manager	npm/yarn/pnpm	Composer
Runtime	Node.js/Deno/Bun	PHP-FPM, CLI
Arrow Functions	(x) => x * 2	fn($x) => $x * 2
Spread Operator	...array	...$array
Null Coalescing	??	??
Optional Chaining	?.	?->
String Templates	`Hello ${name}`	"Hello {$name}"
Destructuring	const {a, b} = obj	['a' => $a, 'b' => $b] = $arr
Named Arguments	Object parameters	Native: func(name: 'value')
Type Inference	Strong	Limited
Generics	Array<T>	array<T> (via PHPStan/Psalm)
Readonly	readonly modifier	readonly (PHP 8.1+)
Strict Null Checks	Via strictNullChecks	Via declare(strict_types=1)
Module System	ES Modules, CommonJS	Namespaces, PSR-4 autoloading
Decorators	Experimental @decorator	Attributes #[Route('/api')]
Testing	Jest, Vitest, Playwright	PHPUnit, Pest, Codeception
Linting	ESLint, Biome	PHP_CodeSniffer, PHPStan, Psalm
Formatting	Prettier, Biome	PHP-CS-Fixer, Laravel Pint
Hot Reload	Vite, Webpack HMR	Laravel Mix, Vite Laravel plugin
Popular Frameworks	Express, Nest.js, Next.js, Nuxt	Laravel, Symfony, Slim
ORM	TypeORM, Prisma, Drizzle	Eloquent (Laravel), Doctrine (Symfony)
Deployment	Vercel, Netlify, PM2	Laravel Forge, Vapor, traditional LAMP

Code Examples Repository

All code examples for this series are available in the /code/php-typescript-developers/ directory.

Each chapter includes:

• ✅ Side-by-side comparisons (TypeScript vs PHP)
• ✅ Runnable examples with setup instructions
• ✅ Migration guides for common patterns
• ✅ Composer dependencies (composer.json)
• ✅ README documentation for each chapter

Community & Support

Questions? Open an issue on GitHub

Found a bug? Pull requests welcome!

Next Steps

Ready to start? Head to Chapter 1: TypeScript to PHP - Type Systems Compared

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Last Updated: November 2025 PHP Version: 8.3+ Difficulty: Intermediate Estimated Time: 12 hours